THE PSL!!!!!!

[fearlessly]

[ this time, returning had not been easy.

it's certainly not the first time. from the temple and lunatia both, alisaie had returned to her home only to bounce back to both places, but each time had been a reset, a return to her "real life," to what she left behind, as if she had never left. she had no recollection of her time spent outside of this world, no memory of the events, or emotions, or people she had been leaving behind, and so ignorance had been bliss. she had remembered, of course, every time she returned, but it had hardly mattered then, once she was back.

this time, she remembers, and because of it there is a sense of.. finality. alisaie does not know how or why, but somehow, deep in her gut, she knows that she will not be returning to lunatia. it might be her natural cynicism, her realism that one day it would come to pass that she would arrive home and not return, and she may very well be wrong, but still she cannot help the feeling that it is over, that just as she had expected she is left to remember it all, to keenly feel the ache of her breaking heart.

prompto would have said that it would be worth it. he had said as much, in the past. he would say that having experienced love would be enough, that their time together, even if less than they both would want, would be better than nothing. she wants to agree, but in her heart she cannot convince herself, and instead there is only a quiet, private bitterness that she nurses in the deep hours of the night when she sleeps to the sound of the chilly wind over the dry sands of amh araeng. the desert suits her, arid and inhospitable and imbued with an old and powerful sense of longing and loss; mayhaps it was one of the many reasons she had been drawn here to begin with, when she first arrived on the shard. this wasteland at the ends of the earth, its very sands and stones infused with the ache of countless grieving hearts and angry ends, is a reflection of her soul. it always has been.

but still she works. that much is easy. there is always work to be done, and alisaie is more than happy to see to it, to bury herself in it, to distract herself from her anger and heartbreak because it has been several moons now, and she was right. it has all ended, and rather than prompto being erased from her heart and mind, she is left with the lingering memory of him in her mind's eye, on her skin, in her heart. he had promised, and where is he now? where is she? alone with her thoughts in this desolate wasteland.

would that he were here, if only so she could sock him right in the gut. ]

Comments

[punshots]

[ In an instant, everything is different.

And in a way, it's almost...poetic. How they had talked about this very thing so recently, about how the potential of their involuntary separation always loomed on the horizon. They never knew what the next day would bring in Lunatia, in more than one way, but still, Prompto never expected it to happen so soon. Of course, if it happened anytime it would be too soon, and yet, here he is.

But when the forces of fate pull him from Lunatia, they do not see fit to place him back on Eos, where he belongs. When Prompto had promised Alisaie he would find her, no matter where she was, he didn't mean it quite like this. Worst case scenario, he had expected a long game — because of what Noctis and Gladio had told him back on Prismatica, he thought he knew what to expect in his future back home, and it very well may take the full ten years before he has the resources to dedicate to finding a way to Eorzea. It had been a daunting prospect, to be sure, and that was before he considered what getting to Eorzea would actually mean. Where the hell was he going to even begin to figure out how to get to another shard? And what if he couldn't hold onto his memories of those other worlds, as she had before? He'd scribed out key memories from their time together, taken pictures of her with his camera, done everything that he could so they wouldn't be able to take her memory from him, but what if even that isn't enough?

In the end, it wouldn't have deterred him. He would have done whatever necessary to get to her, just as promised, no matter how long it took. But ultimately, it doesn't matter what his plan may have been. He doesn't have to tear a whole between universes or relearn the meaning of her in his heart. Because when he leaves Lunatia, he doesn't wake up on Eos, like he has always expected. He has waken up...in Norvrandt.

Not that he knows that at first, of course. The boughs of mammoth trees and curling vines are what greet him when he wakes up, uncertain of anything but the pounding in his head — and, well, the dog trotting at his side, which may be all that keeps him from questioning his own sanity at first. Somehow, Pea has made this journey with him, and it isn't long before they both attract the attention of scouts from a nearby village in the trees — tall, athletic warriors with long, slender ears, who trust him less than they could throw him. Not that he could really blame them, if there positions were reversed. Here's this lost Hume in the wood in strange clothing and a dog for a companion, who has no idea where he is or how he got here. It's not until he speaks of other worlds that they begin to regard him seriously. Could he be a companion of the Warrior of Darkness?

It's only then that he begins to understand, that he begins to hope, that where he is is where he thinks he is. But he can't possibly be that lucky, can he?

The one they call Matoya is unable to answer the summons of the Viera of Fanow, and they intend to keep an eye on Prompto until she or one of her associates can interrogate him — but if there's a possibility that Alisaie is here, in this world, he has to do whatever he can do get to her. Not only for her sake, but for his own, too. It takes him some time to give the Viera the slip, to map out their patrol rotations and watch changes enough that he can slip away in the dead of night. Once he's out of their sight, it's not much comfort, either. The Greatwood is dangerous and hostile, and he must learn and adapt more quickly than he ever has before. It isn't easy, and he has more than a few close calls. But it's absolutely essential, and that's what keeps him going.

And it's what keeps him going over the next few months, as he learns about this world, about Norvrandt, about it's peoples and places and monsters, more than Alisaie could have ever hoped to tell him in the times they had talked about it. He learns to blend in, what to hunt, how to dress. He eventually makes it from the Greatwood to the kingdom of the fae, and plays enough games with them to earn their favor. They guide him to the Crystarium (with the strict promise that he will return to play with them soon) where he picks up both rumors and work, earning gil to keep himself and Pea alive and well and to provide a roof over their head. Prompto can't remember the last time he had a hot shower, and it's wonderful.

And what's left over goes to purchasing safe passage from the Crystarium through the wastes of Amh Araeng. His heart is near to bursting anytime he simply thinks about it, about the possibility of finding her there, and from what he hears, his odds seem good. He hears gossip, stories, about the Warrior of Darkness and his companions, about the young elf working out at the Inn at Journey's Head, at the far edge of the desert. He thinks Alisaie could have picked a slightly more hospitable place to make her occupation, but neither is he surprised to hear she's still there. Of course she is. There is work to do and people suffering — she will work herself to the bone there to help them.

Finally, the day comes. Prompto has saved up enough gil to purchase flight by Amaro from the Crystarium to Mord Souq, and the rest of the journey he must make on foot. It isn't far, but neither is the land very inviting, and a few harsh days and cold nights translates into a difficult journey for both Prompto and Pea. But they're so close, now. So close — surely she must be there. The citizens of Mord Souq knew her name well. Soon, soon, they'll be reunited again, and, and...

They can make everything right, then. After missing so much time together over these last few months. After going without each other's touch, or kiss, or voice. The anticipation is enough that he nearly cannot sleep, but he even he runs out of juice every now and again.

Their destination isn't far, now, but the night has grown bitterly cold, and Pea weary. At last, they camp, Prompto building a modest fire for the both of them to huddle around, and setting up a tent to provide some meager shelter from the chilling winds of the desert. Pulling Pea into his lap, Prompto curls around her, chin resting on top of her head, as he watches the flickering flames of the dim fire, teeth chattering. Soon, so soon... ]

J-just a bit longer, Pea...good girl...

[ One more day, and everything will be as it should be. One more day, and everything will be right. ]